What's Hidden in the Dark of Night
by Dark Nuriko
Summary: Sequel to What's Really in the Dark of Night. It takes place five years after Dark of Night and I hope to continue this for a while and give the series closure how I can. Duo and the others have started up a Paranormal Investigation business.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **_**What's Hidden in the Dark of Night (Dark of Night 2 for short)**_

**Author: **Dark Nuriko

**Category: **Gundam Wing

**Genre: **Humor/Romance/Supernatural

**Pairings: **1x2, some 3x4

**Warnings: **Gender Change, POV, Language, Lunacy

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

**Disclaimer: **Gundam Wing and its characters don't belong to me. I don't write to make a profit and merely do this for my own enjoyment.

**Author's Note: **After much thought, I've decided to try my hand at writing, seeing as life pretty much sent me a few curve balls I hadn't been expecting, and so figured a sequel to 'What's Really in the Dark of Night' would be a good place to start. Before people start reading, let me be perfectly clear here. Duo is a girl in this story. I know most of you don't like it and that's fine. I have no problems with him as a guy loving Heero either, look to most of my other stories for that. This was done because I needed the male/female aspect to play off of and it also made a nice twist. So don't read now if you don't like it. Some people reviewed at the last chapter of the last one saying it was good till I made him a girl, yet it made me wonder why they finished it if that was the case.

This one also won't have my wonderful Co-Author, Jess_Eklom's, wonderful writing style in it. So it will be told completely from Duo's POV, perhaps a little of Trowa's thrown in for good measure. There were many of you who wanted to know what happened afterward. That there was much left unsaid. So, I'm going to attempt to write this story and see if I can't provide closure for most of you.

'_Italics' _mean something a spirit is saying.

Enjoy.

_**What's Hidden in the Dark of Night**_

_Chapter One; Duo POV:_

My name is Duo Maxwell. I'm a twenty-three year old Paranormal Investigator. I work for H.O.P.E., or rather Hunter's of Paranormal Events. It's a company that was created by Heero Yuy, Quatre R. Winner, Trowa Barton, Wufei Chang, and myself a mere year ago. While it was our business, it was also a little bet project of ours. A test, if one would want to call it that.

You see, there are many mysteries in this wide world we live in. A lot of them tend to come from the minds of paranoid people who believe something's out to get them. The whole ghost/spirit/poltergeist scene is all pretty normal for people nowadays. If something is unexplainable, then it must be otherworldly. At least, that's what most people tell me in my line of work.

We've been busting our humps attempting to make it legit and not into something that people would laugh at. I mean, hell, look at T.A.P.S., the Trans-Atlantic Paranormal Society. They are a real band of Ghost Hunters who have their own television show and are about as legit as anybody can be in their profession.

Of course, we work under the same principles. We go out to places that were rumored to be haunted, examine them with the correct equipment for such cases, and see what we could learn. But at the same time we also have an edge that the others don't. You see, we are a little different from your average team. We don't use psychics or any of that mumbo jumbo people hear about. Nope, we merely use our eyes and ears. Well, my ears and my boyfriends eyes, to be precise.

Okay, now I know people are probably wondering how that helps anything, but I can say proudly that it helps a lot more than one would expect. See, I've always had a gift for hearing spirits. The undead love to talk and my ears pick up the words that most human's can never hear. My boyfriend, on the other hand, has the best set of peepers in the world. His eyes cross the veil and are able to see the spirits in a more corporeal way, so when they are around and about, his eyes can spy them out.

Now with a team like this, you would think we'd have it made. But, because of an old saying from my family, a long time ago, as well as one from his, we make up more than anyone else could guess. For whenever we're in contact with one another, like holding hands or the like, we can share our abilities between one another and see and hear at the same time. It also helps that together, we can exorcise those spirits that are actual threats to the people they are around and help solve their terrible problems that have been plaguing them.

The main sad thing about all of this is that a majority of most of the people who come to us are all full of shit. And I'm not talking the small kind either. I mean the full blown horse manure kind. The kind that smells so bad it hurts to stay around it. After all, we aren't like those guys on TV. We are simply a new, little band of wanna-be Ghost Hunters who just happen to be a little good at our job. Provided we actually have something to work with to begin with.

"Duo?" my boyfriend's voice called from the front office, causing me to shake myself out of my reverie and answer him.

"I'm in the office," I called back, a smile warming my lips. After our adventures in High School, where we first met and had to deal with some of the worst people ever, we'd gone off to college and both got degrees were we'd need it most for our current business. Quatre R. Winner, my uncle whom I call my cousin, due to him being the same age as me, had helped us build this place and as such, had even joined it, part-time, of course.

I went into paranormal science, since that was what our business was going to be about. Honestly, it didn't matter if one had first hand knowledge of the spiritual realm. When it came to the sheer science behind the truth, it was downright amazing. There was a lot more to the paranormal than just talking with spirits, I was sad to find out. Heero, my boyfriend, had gone into business, so that we wouldn't suddenly go under and die within the first couple months of our venture. Trowa had joined in as well. It seemed most of us were really very special. At least, our little art group from Highland Academy for Gifted Youngsters was pretty unique. Of course, at the time, we'd never known that.

Quatre, being from the Winner Clan, is also pretty gifted. He's an empath. That seemed to always help him when he was with us during a ghost hunt. We ended up finding out that Wufei had a talent for touching old items and learning of their past history. It came in pretty damn handy when they were exploring a place that was presumed to be pretty old. With one touch from the Chinaman we could find out just how old the place really was. Of course, then there was Trowa. If there was ever a wonder if people were just being plagued by animals in the middle of the night, Trowa was the man to see. His gift leaned toward understanding animal language and he could communicate with then like I can with the dead.

Honestly, we really did make the best Paranormal Investigation team out there. Now if only people would give us a chance. Hearing a sound at the door way, I looked up and saw Heero walking into the room. His chocolate colored hair and Prussian blue gaze were the same breath stealing color and length they'd been back in high school. But Heero himself had gotten a little taller and had managed to put on a little more muscle. A soft, mind-stealing smile rested on his lips.

"What are you doing in here?" Heero asked, coming into the office and glancing around the décor. There really wasn't much here either. Just an old oak desk, three leather chairs on one side of the desk, one behind it, which I was sitting on, a couple file cabinets behind me, and pictures from the various places I've been to.

"Hey, just because its closing time doesn't mean I have to go home right away," I replied, my voice warm, even as I knew my violet eyes would have been shimmering with love for him. Ever since we'd gotten together in our last year of high school, I had found myself wanting to always being by his side. Sure, we were still just boyfriend and girlfriend, even after five years, but I didn't mind. Heero was still MY Heero and that's all that mattered.

"We're supposed to meet up with Quatre and Trowa at Wing Zero, remember?" Heero responded, his slight monotone voice holding just a tiny trace of warmth to it. Something only I could hear.

"I know. I guess I just wanted to make certain I got all the information down for tomorrow's case," I told him, brushing back some of my bangs from my face. My hair was still as long as ever, trailing down my back in a single thick braid. My clothes were all black and made me look a bit like a boy. Honestly, even though most people knew I'm a woman, I preferred they see me as a male. It made things less complicating and kept a lot of people from wondering why a woman would head a team like this one in the first place.

"You really are looking forward to it, aren't you?" Heero asked, walking over to me and taking the file folder off my desk.

"Hell ya. Its my dream place, Hee-chan. The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Its really sad that T.A.P.S couldn't find anything and they had that really rude asshole who screwed with their tape, but I really believe that place is haunted. It's a free trip down there and we get to spend time on the ship, including the sleep there! Honestly, I couldn't be any more stoked than I already am," I exclaimed with absolute joy, toying around with a single piece of paper from those on the table.

Heero laughed softly and reached out to caress over my cheek, bringing a soft pink flush across my face. Honestly, I was really glad my Aunt Helen wasn't around tonight. She'd died a while ago, but because she was constantly worried about my Uncle Damien, she was never going to leave. Which was nice in a way, but it also kept Heero and I from having much time alone. Granted, most spirits kept us from being honestly alone, but it was all right. The fact Heero was still with me let me know that he wasn't planning on leaving me. No matter what.

"All right, my little spirit hunter, time to put up the file and go spend time with friends. We can do the happy fan-girl moments when we get there," Heero told me, helping me collect the papers I had pulled out from the folder and moving to put them back into it. "Besides, Trowa and Quatre said they'd be coming with us tomorrow."

I knew my face had to of lit up at those words and I stood up swiftly, throwing my arms around Heero and hugging him close. "You mean we're going to have our whole team tomorrow for the first time in over three months?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Heero laughed, something he did a lot of whenever he was around me. "Yes. They told me the good news right before I started locking up the office." I smirked and kissed him softly, before slipping from his light grip and dancing away toward the door.

"Then what are we waiting on, Hee-chan! Let's go meet the boys for drinks!" I called out, moving toward the door with a spring in my step and a brightness in my smile. It was going to work. We were going to be a group again. Helen would certainly be joining us as well. After all, she wasn't one to miss out on a good ghost hunt. Especially if that meant Heero and I could end up alone for a night. Sadly, Helen was a stickler for the traditional. If we weren't married, we weren't to be doing anything overly physical. I didn't mind that either, since it was safer for all involved if we didn't breed just yet. We were still far off from being at my parents level of compatibility as far as our joint abilities went and until we could master the abilities of a Spirit Charmer, marriage certainly wasn't in the cards. At least, that's what I believed.

To Be Continued….


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note:** After a brief brainstorming session, I realized that one of our favorite boys was being left out in the cold. I mean, I had introduced Sexy Zechsy briefly in the last story but never really let him have much face time. On top of that, Wuffles was sadly being left in the dust, aside from some teasing between Duo and him. So, I figured our favorite Chinaman would get a chapter of his own to bring people up to date on his own life. And depending, I might do one for Trowa, which would also update us on Quatre as well. Of course, that one might come a little later on. For now, enjoy what my brain has just come up with.**

_**What's Hidden in the Dark of Night**_

_Chapter Two; Wufei POV:_

Glancing down at my wristwatch for the tenth time in less than twenty minutes, I was beginning to realize that my friends were all space cadets. I won't even go into how unjust it was to leave someone at a place, waiting for them to show up, for over half an hour. They just were all annoying and sometimes I wondered if I should just write them all off as hopeless case and be done with the whole thing.

Hell, one would assume that after five years they would have grown up just a bit. Unfortunately, that was an assumption that had merely made an ass out of myself. I don't think I've ever see such a severe case of foot in mouth disease… but it seems our little band has it in droves. Especially when it comes to the relationships. Quatre and Trowa are pretty discreet about their pairing. Mostly because of the fact their two males. For some reason, it seems they believe that I'm opposed to such a pairing. To be honest, I couldn't really care less. One doesn't chose whom they love. I learned that the hard way, when I was very young.

See, I was the product of a very traditional upbringing. At one point in my life, I would have been appalled by Quatre and Trowa's relationship. But when things had fallen apart brutally for me, I stopped questioning what was right or wrong; what was just or unjust. Due to my upbringing, I had been a part of an arraigned married. Before I was even fourteen, I was married. To a rather remarkable young woman, I might add. While we were married, we still maintained separate space and sleeping quarters. On top of that, she seemed to rather hate my guts. I believe most of it was due to the fact I was a scholar and she wanted a fighter. Someone who would stand up to the bad people in this world without running away.

That all changed when our home was attacked by robbers one night. She fought when she should have just given in. After all, material possessions could always be replaced but a human life was a one time deal. Irreplaceable, if you must know. And hers was the most irreplaceable of them all. Due to her decision, they'd brutally raped and beat her, before shooting her, leaving her for dead in a pool of her own blood in her own bedroom. I had found her moments later and attempted to help as best I could.

As fate would have it, I was too late. She'd died in my arms with a small smile on her lips, having heard words that she was strong enough to be Nataku, a god we both believed in. I won't go into how traumatizing something like that is for a fourteen year old, but I will tell you that it tends to keep you from wanting any kind of serious relationship, gender excluded from the decision. Male and female alike was something I preferred to avoid.

Of course, there was a reason to my need to be a scholar, rather than a fighter of justice. Ever since I could remember, old objects seemed to call to me. Kind of like an old friend calling out to someone they hadn't seen in a long time. With a single touch, I can usually find out just how old something is, as well as who used it, why they used it, and why they let it go. At first, I had believed it was a gift bestowed on me by the gods. I soon learned better.

Many people from all over the world would criticize my words. Most telling me I was a kid being funny and not understanding what I was talking about. My 'gift', as it was, got me kicked out of most museums. I suppose it was the fact that most people who'd been working hard at their jobs for years, some even longer to get where they were, didn't like to be corrected when I'd tell them that what they had was merely a replica… and not the real thing.

Who could blame them? Life is full of people who will work hard to succeed at something. If it was completely tossed back into their faces by a young kid, most would come to hate that person. Even more would seek to harm them or shut them up. Yes, I am a rich kid. I had a typical rich kid upbringing. Kidnappings, attempted murders, ransoms, and all the twisted shit, for lack of a better word, that can happen to someone happened to me. I would venture to guess that all of that is the reason behind my strong need for justice to happen and why I tend to keep most people at bay.

Glancing back to my watch, I realize that they are now forty-five minutes late. Damn them. Leaving me here alone to be able to think about my life wasn't wise. At the same time, it was unthinkable of me to even debate about getting food before they arrived. That would have been unforgivable and unjust of me and I completely refused to go against my own moral code. So, when the waitress arrived, I ordered a drink and leaned back in my chair, continuing to wait. Trowa had assured me that he'd bring Quatre, Heero, and Duo today. It had been a while since I had been in town and since we had a case in a couple days, I figured I'd come back early and surprise everyone. Looks like I was the one being surprise. INJUSTICE, I say!

"Wufei? Wufei Chang?" a deep rich baritone voice suddenly asked, catching me a little off guard and causing me to turn my head. Standing before me was none other than the one man who could knock me off guard. I didn't like him. How could I? For whenever I touched the famed Milliardo Peacecraft I couldn't help but feel like I was touching something ancient, like fine stained glass that'd been in the family for generations. There seemed to be several people like that in this town, which was the main reason why I wore gloves on my hands. No physical contact meant I didn't get that weird 'why does a human feel this old' feeling if we touched.

My black eyes roamed over Milliardo and found it hard not to smile. Five years, enough though he's older than us, hadn't detracted from his looks at all. In fact, I was willing to guess he possibly had gotten better with age, like a rare wine. His long platinum blond hair was still amazing to behold, especially since it was on a man. On top of that, he carried it well and look male with all of it, although I have no clue how that was even possible. He was still tall and pretty lean, but evidence of muscles that had seem a lot of work were hinted at under his clothes, which weren't bad either. Tight navy blue slacks seemed to mold to his thighs and show off just how perfectly sculpted he seemed to be. His white dress shirt, black and gray tie, and matching navy blue jacket seemed to complete his look, making the man look downright dangerous, boarder-line sexy. Hey, I might be asexual, but even I would look at perfection when it was presented to me.

"Milliardo Peacecraft? What a surprise running into you here," I said, keeping my voice calm despite my unease. It wouldn't do to let someone know they make you uncomfortable. That just wasn't right, after all. Some would even consider it an injustice.

The man rolled his vibrant sapphire blue eyes at my words and snorted slightly. "Don't call me that. I changed my name legally to Zechs years ago," the blond told me, seemingly watch me to gauge my reactions. I admit, it was unnerving having him stare at me. What was he noticing, beyond my black hair that was usually kept in a ponytail at the nape of my neck? The small half-moon glasses I wore since my eye sight had gotten a little worse over the years? Onyx black eyes that were returning his gaze? The simple Chinese style shirt I was wearing in white or the gray slacks that I wore with it? The fact I was rather slender, even though I worked out regularly and studied several forms of martial arts. All right, so perhaps he couldn't tell the last part, but who knew what eyes that could see through to your soul really saw.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I do believe I heard something like that back in High School. It was to keep your connection to Relena a secret, wasn't it?" I asked, wanting to get that stare off of me as soon as possible.

Zechs nodded, shivering slightly at the mention of his sister's name. Which, of course, was an interesting reaction. There aren't many people who can't stand their own siblings. Especially when there were rumors that he actually cared for her. Apparently, Relena's many stalker-like qualities seemed to make even family want to run, not that I could really blame him or anyone in that position. Relena was a menace and as such, wasn't fit to be in any family. "You're right, Chang, I did. And after her most recent stunt, I'm highly proud most people don't remember I'm related to her."

Quirking an eyebrow in curiosity, I watched the man from over the rim of my glasses. If my friends were going to be late, then some company wouldn't hurt while I waited. I mean, the table did seat six comfortably and there would only be five of us as far as I knew. "Would you like to join me? I'd like to hear more about that, as well as spend some time catching up on old times. Heero, Duo, Quatre, and Trowa are all planning on meeting me here, so one more would even things out."

Zechs smiled, moving to take the seat next to him. "I'd like that, Chang, but I have to admit that Duo kind of already invited me. I just didn't know I'd be joining all of you."

I couldn't help but nod in understanding. "Ah, well, Maxwell doesn't know that I'm going to be here, so he couldn't have properly told you about that. I just got in from Greece today so I asked Trowa what was going on tonight. When he told me about their little planned get-together, I said I'd tag along."

"How was Greece? I've heard you're an antique appraiser when you aren't helping Duo and Heero out with their little business venture," Zechs murmured, letting a passing waitress know he'd be sitting here and ordered a glass of a rather high class wine to have while he waited. The man obviously had been raised on some very fine, if not expensive tastes.

"I am. I graduated top in my class from college and went into the antique world. The job requires me to move all over the world, but at the same time, I'm able to scout new locations for Maxwell and Yuy's business to check out," I answered, feeling confident that all was going well. After all, there really wasn't much people didn't know in this town. It was a wealthy town with a lot of overly wealthy people. It was hard to keep secrets when there were those who would pay a fortune just to see what their neighbor was up to so they didn't end up doing the same thing at some point.

"Sounds like you have the best of both worlds," Zechs replied. I couldn't help but tip my head to the side slightly. Was his tone a little… wistful? That didn't seem like something the other man would do.

"I suppose I do. Yet enough about me," I said, switching gears. After all, I hated talking about myself above all else. "What about yourself? What have you been doing?"

Zechs seemed a little off guard at that, before he smiled and shook his head slightly. "Nothing as impressive as yourself, I'm sad to say. I spent some time in England. Had a hot romance there. Things seemed to fall south so I headed to Japan for a couple months. Worked as a Private Investigator there for a while before beginning to miss the comforts of the great U. S. of A and returned here just last week," he said, obviously catching me a little off guard. How in the world had I been so ignorant of so much going on? I pride myself on keeping up to date, but he just wasn't one of the people I bothered to keep up on, I'm sad to say.

"And the reason Maxwell invited you?" I asked, knowing I was sounding an awful lot like someone who pried into other peoples lives, but I assure you that I wasn't trying to. I was, to put it simply, curious.

"Oh, he said that he had a job for me this weekend, if I'd be interested. Said his team was going to a place where other people had once messed with an investigation and since I have previous experience with security he wanted to know if I'd be willing to help keep it from happening again," Zechs replied, keeping it simple. It was more than obvious that the man was trying to hide something. Yet before I could ask what it was, I could hear Duo's loud voice and knew the rest of them were on their way in. I'd save it for later, when I could get a chance alone with the man. Oh, and I would get a chance alone with him, make no mistake about that.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Yet another chapter from someone else's POV. Duo just doesn't want his brain poked this time around so I was thinking Sexy Zechsy could be toyed with this time around. Honestly, the more I write it, the more I think this story is actually going to end up between Zechs and Wufei, with just hints of the other couples. Let me know what you think… and if you don't want that, then I'll work on correcting it.

_**What's Hidden in the Dark of Night**_

_Chapter Three; Zechs POV:_

When the call had come in earlier in the day from a certain overly excitable brunette with a braid longer than my ego, I had to wonder just what in the world was on the girls mind. I mean, I'd never really been necessary for any of Duo's little escapades before. Why did she suddenly need a security person on team for something that should be fairly cut and dry? Was the spook business finally making her paranoid?

Honestly I had no clue what went on in that brain of Duo's and I would gladly leave it to Heero to figure the woman out. Women were a complete mystery to me. My sister was high on that list. Especially since she'd been going stalker on several prominent people since her reluctant parting with one Heero Yuy. Of course, it was reluctant only on her side and I still, to this day, felt sorry for the boy. How he'd managed to get with Duo through all of the hell Relena caused in high school was still the largest mystery of them all.

When I arrived at the place I was supposed to meet Duo and a couple of her friends, I'd found myself running into someone I'd never expected. Wufei Chang. The man still looked really good, even more so since he'd graduated from the high school and made something of himself. It was said that Wufei was making a living traveling the world, exploring area's far from home and appraising items that some say were older than history itself. Wufei was known for being a hard ass. Anything he appraised he was brutally honest about, even when it was found to be a replica. That was just how Chang seemed to work. Not that I could blame him.

We sat and talked for a while, of which I could tell some of my words and actions unnerved the boy slightly. It was always possible. I mean, who would want to hear about someone's love life when they barely knew you? I couldn't even believe I'd told him about my torrid romance, as short as the explanation for it had been. Hell, even Relena hadn't known about that and yet I'd told someone who was practically a stranger to me about it.

And to make matters worse, it seemed like we'd be working together during Duo's latest business venture. Honestly, I also knew Duo was, for lack of a better word, special. Finding out Heero was just as unique as him had surprised me. Having eventually learned that his whole team was just as interesting as Duo, herself, made me wonder just what kind of things that school for the Gifted that they'd been going to had really been trying to recruit. It was fairly unnerving to say the least, for all intents and purposes.

Once I told Wufei why I was here, it was obvious the man wanted curiosity settled and wanted to understand further just what was going on. Yet he'd wisely chosen to shut up when the sound of Duo's voice suddenly echoed through the room. And not a moment too soon, I thought to myself, honestly glad that I was spared from trying to explain anything else. Raising an arm, I signaled toward the small band of people who had come into the restaurant.

At the forefront of the little group was Duo Maxwell, herself. Her violet eyes were noticeable, even from the slight distance away. That long chestnut braid of hers flipping back and forth across her back. Beside her was her every stoic and serious partner in everything, Heero Yuy. His chocolate locks barely kissed his forehead and those bright Prussian blue eyes stood out. Heero was pure Japanese, but his looks were not typical to the ethnic breed he was from. In fact, in the few years they'd been out of high school, he'd even gotten taller than Duo, although not by much.

Following behind them were another two men I was honored to be able to call friend. Trowa Barton and Quatre R. Winner. Trowa towered over everyone here, a good four inches higher than the tallest one around them. Of course, this height seemed more so when he stood next to his lover, Quatre. Quatre was a pretty little blond with bright aquamarine colored eyes. His pale coloring seemed to set off Trowa's rich brown hair and emerald green gaze. They were a beautiful pair and many times Quatre was mistaken for a girl, mostly due to his slender figure and small size. Since Duo was often mistaken for a guy, it seemed to even their group up considerably.

"Hey Sexy Zechsy!" Duo called out as he came up to the table, not noticing the dark haired man to my side. Obviously, Wufei wasn't expected here and as such Duo hadn't even bothered to recognize his presence. "I'm glad you could make it," Duo went on as she took a seat beside me.

"It would have been impossible not to. You kind of made me an offer I couldn't refuse," I remarked back to the girl, watching as the rest of the group settled down around the table, with Quatre being the lucky one to sit next to Wufei's other side.

"How so?" Quatre took that moment to ask, even as I couldn't help but see the left side of Wufei's temple beginning to twitch. It seemed our little Chinaman was beginning to hate being ignored so completely. Of course, Duo had a one track mind and normally didn't notice anything until one thing was finished.

"Oh, well Zechs was either going to help us out or play bodyguard to his sister's party. Of course, it was a no brainier when you put things in that light," Duo said, smirking as she watched the group shiver slightly at the mention of my sister. Not that I blamed anyone. Relena made nuns want to kill and that was saying a lot. Then again, if her own brother was saying things like that, was it any better? Honestly, I wasn't sure one way or the other.

Everyone at this table had enjoyed the misfortune of knowing my sister back in school. Heero, Quatre, and Wufei had been friends and during their senior year, Trowa had joined their merry little band. Duo had entered the picture around that same time, but many had believer her to be a him and since she hadn't really cared about her looks, had never bothered to correct anyone. It wasn't until Heero and Duo had started going out that people had come to realize that not only was Duo a girl, but a rather stunning one at that.

Just then, I heard Wufei clear his throat. When Duo didn't glance his way, I could see those dark eyes narrow and seem to glare at the person in question. I was obviously about to see something I wasn't certain was possible, seeing how calm he'd been moments ago. I was about to see just how wound up Duo could make the man become and I wondered if it was a bad thing that I was actually looking forward to it.

"Damn it all, Maxwell," Wufei hissed out through clenched teeth. "Don't even think about ignoring me, onna. I've had a long day and if you're going to treat me like this then I can just turn around and leave and that will be one less person for you to have to deal with," Wufei continued, finally managing to get Duo's attention.

"Wuffles!" Duo exclaimed, which made that pulse point in Wufei's forehead throb even worse. The poor man wasn't having a good evening. First ignored and then obviously insulted. The poor little dragon seemed to be ready to break something. Thinking quickly, I passed him a breadstick and watched as he slowly began to rip it into itty bitty little bit size pieces.

"It's Wufei, Maxwell, as well you know. How many times must I tell you that?" he asked, black eyes dark with anger.

Duo waved a hand in front of her face, almost as if waving off his words. "And I've told you that you know I like you if you've been given a nickname," Duo remarked casually. "In any case, I'm surprised to see you. I thought you wouldn't be back in town until the case."

Wufei, bless his little Asian heart, seemed to try to collect himself, biting his lower lip slightly. "No. I was able to finish early and was allowed to come back sooner. I told Winner and Barton. Apparently they had not gotten around to letting you know as well. It's how I knew we were meeting here tonight, obviously."

"Really? I thought you just had amazing taste in restaurants and men," Duo replied, sending a wink my way. For all my efforts, I couldn't help but feel both honored and yet nervous all at the same time. Wufei was younger than me, but still very stunning. Of course, if he'd relax and let his hair down, both literally and figuratively, then perhaps he'd be rather delightful to be around. Having the sister I did had rather decently put me off women and minus Duo, there really weren't many I would even consider dating. Adding to it that Duo was spoken for, I was more than certain I wouldn't be interested in women for a long time to come.

Yet the most interesting thing happen just then. Duo's words seemed to have made Wufei flush, of all things, and the Chinaman was a soft pink. Now that was something interesting to take note of. After all, I could have sworn Wufei was straight. So why would saying he had good taste in men make him blush. It was certainly something for me to look into at a later date. Possibly without the rest of the group around.

"Knock it off, Maxwell," Wufei muttered, not as strongly as he had been speaking moments before. "Zechs and I were merely talking before the rest of you arrived, that's all. He was filling me in on your decision to have you join us, for which I was slightly surprised. You've never asked for security measures before," Wufei decided to point out, beginning to eat the now torn up pieces of bread he'd created just moments ago.

"Oh, well that's because we're going to be looking over the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California and I wanted to keep what happened on my favorite program from happening to us. Meaning I want a clean and tamper free environment when we're looking the place over from top to bottom. Wuffles and you know the most about keeping others off sites, so I figured it would be best to have you two work together. Especially since I know you're the best in security out there and Wuffles can read objects so he'd know if anyone's tampered with it or not," Duo told both of us, causing me to smile slightly and Wufei to twitch slightly. Wither it was about the nickname or having to work with me, I wasn't quite sure, but I did know that it would give me some time alone with Wufei that I was beginning to want much more than I understood why.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense," I replied once Duo was done explaining. "I admit I still don't understand what it is you all can do, but I have been curious to see how it all works together."

"Oh, that's okay," Duo began. "A lot of the time we don't understand what we all do either, but we just seem to go along with it. I hate to say it but at least the rest of us don't have it as bad as old Wuffles does. Did you know he has to wear gloves 'ALL' the time? Even during sex. Otherwise, he reads things like past lives and such."

I know I was surprised by this little line of news. I mean, sure, he was wearing gloves now, but we hadn't really started doing anything either. Perhaps the gloves were his way of coping. There had been several times when he was younger that he'd shook Wufei's hand without them on. Did that mean he hadn't always had that problem? I wasn't really certain about Wufei and from the beet red color of the black-haired young man's face, I was more than certain that Duo was soon to become a dead woman.

"Maxwell, I don't believe I ever said that," Wufei replied, twitching slightly. "Besides, just because my hands are dangerous doesn't mean the gloves are a problem. I've never had anyone care that I was wearing them. And you don't know me well enough to know anything about my sex life. Or even if I have one."

Heero suddenly looked anywhere but at his friend, causing the Chinese male to once more begin to have a vein pulse in his forehead. I couldn't help but smile softly. Seemed Heero was one such friend… and therefore had told Duo. That could be the only explanation for Heero's sudden need to stare at everything but toward the two having the conversation.

"How about we order!" Quatre spoke up, his voice cheerful despite his own inner guilt at having also said something about his friend. The only difference between Heero and himself was that he was hiding it better. Of course, from me, it was as plain as day on the blond boys face. Especially since he also couldn't look at Wufei any more. Wufei was obviously frustrated but settled in to look at a menu I was sure he'd looked at more than once before we'd arrived, pretending as if it was the first time.

"Fine. Yet since this little get together was Barton's idea, I do believe it should be his turn to pay," Wufei remarked, his voice calm despite the still faint red tint to his face. Of course, sitting as close as I was to him, it could be I was the only one who noticed it.

Trowa nodded, seeming to be in agreement with him. "That sounds just fine," he murmured, his voice almost as calm as Wufei's. Yet like the Chinaman, he also seemed a little red, which perhaps meant he'd added to the news Duo had been talking about. Interesting little group I was with, to be sure, and perhaps Wufei could really use another person on the team to work with. After all, I wasn't prone to gossip about his life and I sure as hell wouldn't make comments about his sex life. Truly, how could I even attempt something with him later if I completely destroyed even the most remote chance I had to win his attention while I was in town? I wasn't taken and I enjoyed sharing my bed with someone pretty. Perhaps just once, I could look a little younger and attempt to curb my growing obsession with the dark-haired man, before I became borderline stalker in nature.


End file.
